Urban Stream Education - Car Washing
Did you know that car washing can be harmful to our waterways?
Outdoor car washing results in large amounts of dirt, road grime, oil,
nutrients and heavy metals flowing into waterways as the detergent-rich
water used to wash the grime off our cars flows down the street, into the
storm drain and into the nearest body of water.
Car washing Fact Sheet (PDF)
How can you help protect our waterways?
- Use commercial car-wash facilities. They are required to recycle and
treat their wash water prior to discharging it to the sanitary sewer
system. In the sewer system, the water is treated at the wastewater
treatment plant before it is ultimately discharged to Bellingham Bay.
- When washing vehicles at home, a sump pump can be placed in the
storm drain where the wash water flows. The pump should pump the wash
water through a hose to the sanitary sewer.
- Another alternative is to wash the car on a pervious surface such
as a lawn or vegetated area so the wash water can soak into the ground,
where pollutants are filtered out.
Charity Car Washes
If
you are planning a charity car wash you can:
- Sell commercial car wash coupons from local carwash companies. This
allows you to sell tickets any time of year, expand fundraising beyond
one event, and doesn’t leave you dependent on the weather. If you are
interested in selling car wash coupons for your fund-raiser, you may
contact Terry Todd at Sunset Car Wash, 734-1300 ext. 10.
- Conduct charity fundraising events at Evergreen Automotive,
Fairhaven Food Pavilion, The Public Market, and Applied Digital Imaging.
These locations have Watershed Friendly Car Wash Kits that divert
harmful runoff out of the storm drains and into the sewer system where
the water can be treated.
For more information, call Environmental Resources Team at the
Public Works Department.
